The Stacks

All book reviews

623 honest reviews across fiction, non-fiction, mystery, sci-fi, romance, and more.

Showing 241-264 of 623

by Grant Blackwood

Dead or Alive by Grant Blackwood review. A 2010 Jack Ryan thriller co-written with Tom Clancy. The Campus operates against an Emir-class terrorist. Reliable late-Clancy political-action.

How to Write a Mystery

by Larry Beinhart

How to Write a Mystery by Larry Beinhart review. A serious craft guide to crime fiction from the American Hero author. Sharp, practical, recommended for working writers.

The Diva Cooks a Goose

by Krista Davis

The Diva Cooks a Goose by Krista Davis review. The 4th Domestic Diva cozy. A Christmas dinner, a holiday murder, and the seasonal cozy form at its most predictable comfort.

Strangle Hold

by Jerome Doolittle

Strangle Hold by Jerome Doolittle review. The 2nd Tim Lyon mystery. A DC investigator working a State Department leak case in the post-Reagan capital. Sharp regional texture.

It's my Life

by Melody Carlson

It's My Life by Melody Carlson review. The 2nd Diary of a Teenage Girl novel. Christian YA fiction about a high-school girl negotiating faith, family, and growing up.

Vineyard Chill

by Philip R. Craig

Vineyard Chill by Philip R. Craig review. The 19th Jeff Jackson mystery. Martha's Vineyard winter, a missing-person case, and the regional cozy form at its most relaxed.

Going Alien

by Jeffrey A. Carver

Going Alien by Jeffrey A. Carver review. An anthology of his Chaos Chronicles-adjacent short fiction. SF stories for fans of his John Bandicut sequence.

Book of Iron

by Elizabeth Bear

Book of Iron by Elizabeth Bear review. A 2013 Eternal Sky fantasy novella, the prequel to Bone and Jewel Creatures. Bijou the Wizard, a desert expedition, sharp North African-inspired worldbuilding.

Lady Vanishes

by Carol Lea Benjamin

Lady Vanishes by Carol Lea Benjamin review. The 4th Rachel Alexander mystery. A missing dog, a Manhattan upper-class family, and Benjamin at her most carefully observed.

A Hell Of A Dog

by Carol Lea Benjamin

A Hell Of A Dog by Carol Lea Benjamin review. The 3rd Rachel Alexander mystery. A dog-training conference, a possible murder, and the most insider dog material in any PI series.

Trial and Retribution V

by Robin Blake

Trial and Retribution V by Robin Blake review. A novelization of the British police-and-court TV drama created by Lynda La Plante. Competent media-tie-in procedural.

Books, Bullets and Blooms

by Cindy Bell

Books, Bullets and Blooms by Cindy Bell review. The 6th Sage Gardens cozy mystery. A retirement-community murder, a long-running ensemble, formulaic comfort.

Artifact

by Matthew J. Costello

Artifact by Matthew J. Costello review. A 1992 archaeological thriller with a Mesoamerican dig site, an ancient curse mechanism, and reliable 90s genre pleasures.

Battlestar Galactica

by Jeffrey A. Carver

Battlestar Galactica by Jeffrey A. Carver review. The 2006 novelization of Ronald D. Moore's reboot mini-series. Carver doing serious work in a media-tie-in form.

Dragon Season

by Michael Cassutt

Dragon Season by Michael Cassutt review. A 1991 contemporary fantasy with a Hollywood TV writer hero, a portal to another world, and the most underread urban-fantasy debut of its decade.

Vendetta for the Saint

by Harry Harrison

Vendetta for the Saint by Harry Harrison: a 1965 Saint continuation novel review. Harrison ghosting Leslie Charteris on a Mafia plot. Pulpy, propulsive, of its decade.